Hidden Sarasota: South Lido Key

While shoppers browse in St. Armands Circle, just a few blocks away, paddlers explore the shallows and shadows of South Lido Key.

Canoe trails wind through a canopy of red mangroves. The tunnels feel cramped, even claustrophobic, until visitors escape into the bright sunshine and open water of Sarasota Bay.

The drama of South Lido kayaking draws locals and tourists. Short trips manage to be interesting enough for experienced paddlers and easy enough for beginners.

“This is our favorite thing,” says Rosanne Holton of Sarasota, who paddles with her three sons. “This is where we’re spending our summer.”

Tour companies offer rental boats and guided trips out of Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach. The mangrove tunnels are billed as exotic eco-adventures.

“There’s an awareness in the paddling community, but not in the everyday community,” says Frank Miller of Venture Kayak Outfitters. “Most people don’t know about it. We’ve taken lots of local people who’ve never been here before.

“The appeal of this is that you’re close to everything -- Lido Key, Longboat Key, downtown.”

The South Lido trails look spooky to newcomers, with mangrove roots and branches that seem to reach out at paddlers. At low tide, especially, dozens of mangrove crabs cling to the trees.

Sometimes the dark little crabs fall into boats, drawing squeals from young passengers.